Another option we have is to use an emulsion blend blasting product. This product, commonly referred to as “emulsion”, is essentially an ammonium nitrate solution mechanically mixed with other raw materials by a computer controlled system onboard a delivery vehicle...

For a majority of the blasting we do at MRD, we are either using ANFO (ammonium nitrate and fuel oil) or a bulk emulsion blasting agent. Both of these blasting agents have been in use for a long time and are used around the world every day. MRD is not unique in the...

One of the most important things we deal with every day but have not yet discussed on this blog is safety. If you ask some people, safety is best achieved through handbooks, checklists, and other resources widely available to the construction and mining industry. We...

When looking to establish the elevation mentioned in part 1, we are not concerned about the location of the bottom of the hole, we are concerned where the craters from neighboring holes intersect. Where these craters intersect is where we want the desired grade to be....

In this two part post we are going to talk about sub-drilling. What is sub-drilling, why we do it, when we do it, and how much we do it. When explosives are detonated, they are expanding rapidly and are ultimately going to take the path of least resistance. This is...

One fact of life that we as commercial quarry blasters must accept is we at some point will need to deal with our neighbors in the community. Seismographs are a tool we rely heavily on to protect our neighbors. Our seismographs are equipped with electromagnetic...

Why is borehole deviation so important? If the holes are off just a couple of feet will it really make that big of a deal? The answer is a resounding YES. We design blasts on the surface of the material. We lay the holes out, measure the area, mark the spots where the...

Once the blast is designed and plans are in place, it is time to execute. With many industries, it is easy to track progress. Quality control checks are in place to ensure standards are maintained throughout the process of a given project. With drilling and blasting...

One common factor in all blasts is back or side break. Simply put, back or side break is breakage that occurs OUTSIDE of the drill pattern. For example, if we are drilling on a 10 x 10 pattern, we are basically designing the blast to have each hole break 5’ in each...

There are a few critical parts of a blast that can make or break the performance of the blast design. One of the most important areas of the blast is the face. Face profiling is the process of measuring the free face of a blast. A lot of rock faces appear vertical but...